Forest's Lament
by DesperateHour
Summary: Lellyra, the half-bred thief, is no stranger to the ring of power. This enchanting creature has been stalking the fellowship quietly from the shadows since their journey began. When she is caught, and trapped in fear she is a spy of Mordor, Lellyra takes a certain interest in the fearful king, Aragorn, who is momentarily drawn away from the his part in the task ahead. Aragorn/OC


The forest realm of Lothlórien was bathed in complete silence. The light-footed elves were soundless as they moved along the trees. Night had fallen, and the fellowship lay on safe grounds, exhaustion and grief pulling them deep into sleep. One though, the hobbit Frodo, had yet another task at mind.

Twinkling lights broke the darkness, humbly brightening the way. He followed the mesmerizing she-elf toward the dark, water filled basin. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Galadriel started to speak, and by the point, Lellyra lost interest. Never sleeping, never heard, she moved diligently across the rocks, watching the resting fellowship stir in their sleep. She could only imagine what horrors they'd come across in the dark tunnels of the mines of Moria.

She'd taken a different route to Lothlórien, a safer passage ounce Saruman gave up attempts to take down the mountain. Lellyra frowned, shivering with ominous thoughts of demons and monsters from Moria. Brave, she was, but fearless, she could never claim to be. With a second glance towards the sleeping company below, Lellyra clambered away to gather some food. She had been left to steal bread and water from the fellowship, never having time to hunt as she pursued them. These pit stops were beneficial; she must pack her pockets before they head out the next dawn.

It wasn't long before Lellyra realized she was not the only stirring creature prowling through the area, she'd wandered far from Frodo and the Elf Witch, they were not the trouble. The footfalls she heard were not the light steps of an elf, nor the heavy ones of the hobbit or dwarf, these stealthy footsteps were those of a human, a man hunting his pr-

Lellyra ducked into the shadows, not allowing herself time to finish the thought. The man was close, and though she could not see him, her senses roared with frustration and distress. The only humans in the woods were those of the fellowship, and they certainly were not supposed to be conscious at this hour of night. Little did she know, Aragorn was never caught off his guard, and he did not take kindly to being fooled, especially by a lady.

Aragorn dared not unsheathe his sword, in fear the elves would see him as a threat. He strode through over the moss covered floor, his eyes narrowed and aware. He'd caught the small creature slip by his camp time and time again, awakening him from restless slumber. He had not seen it clearly, but he knew enough to realize it certainly didn't belong in the forest. He came to a slow halt half way down the path, finding himself standing between two boulders. He scanned his surrounding, his gaze lifted upwards and to his surprise, he found a pair of dark green orbs gazing back.

His eyes widened in surprise, but his calm stature did not change. This was a sight he'd never seen before, a creature who looked so normal and yet so remarkably different at the same time. She gave a flick of her long black tail, ears pinning back on her head. They watched each other without wasting unneeded words. She did not make any advances, not that she could do much damage. The poor thing looked harmless.

Don't let the ears or tail fool you, this creature looked entirely human. She was crouched on the ledge, a short cloak, the colour of a darkest night, shadowed her freckled face. She wore a weathered hunting jacket, her long limbs covered with thin beige trousers. They fell loose to her skin, and were tied close at her ankle. Not the sort of wear to be worn into battle. The whole equipment was tied together with endless leather straps and numerous blades of all different sorts. She had on a pair of worn, leather boots, reaching the base of her knee.

Her dark hair, lighter than Arwen's yet darker than Boromir's, was tied back like an elf's. Though, she was certainly not an elf, the last Aragorn checked, elves did not have tails and ears, and not once in his life had he seen an elf with freckles.

She breathed in deeply, drawing Aragorn's attention, "Up a little late, aren't we?" She hissed, speaking with passing threat, and her words flowed like honey. He narrowed my eyes, his curiosity faltering with her sharp accusation.

"_Who are you?"_

It was certainly an appropriate question, Lellyra thought, tense all over. She'd seen this man before, of course, with the company she'd been following for the last few days. Though, she'd never studied him this closely. He interested her, the way her reacted to her presence, the way he spoke, the way he moved. Naturally curious, Lellyra found herself moving closer, she silently clambered down from her perch until she hit the same dirt Aragorn stood upon. She cocked her head to the side, offering him a clever smile.

**"Le****llyra"**

Aragorn expected a longer introduction. No _'daughter of'_, no '_queen_', not even '_lady_', just Ellyra. Not a common sounding naming, but that of course, was expected. His gaze fell on her weapons, and he noticed one similarity. All of them were thin, narrow and razor sharp, none would stand a chance in heavy combat, but there was a fine assortment of knives. She carried multiple blades, yet Aragorn couldn't imagine any would give her efficient use.

She stepped forward, causing Aragorn lay a hand on the hilt of his sword in warning. Lellyra stopped dead, her eyes widened in wonder. Choosing her blade carefully, put out by Aragorn's sudden threat, Lellyra unsheathed her weapon. She raised an eyebrow, "This is no time to be hasty, my lord" She explained, stepping quietly to the side. He mimicked her motion, his face stern and unfazed. He drew his sword.

"I'm struggling to choose a quiet way to chase you from these woods. I don't know who you are, nor where you come from, but you have no business here, you do not understand the burden we carry" Aragorn explained. Lellyra found this particularly amusing. Obviously, this character was oblivious to her knowledge, skill and understanding. She sighed.

"Interesting reasoning. If a ring, a fellowship, a dark lord and the fate of middle earth have absolutely nothing to do with your little adventure then so be it, I'm clueless." She jested, raising both eyebrows. Aragorn was not amused; he was frustrated and frankly, a little taken aback. A strange creature, overly intelligent and somehow aware of the fellowship... what evil creature had he come across? A sorceress? A spy? A shadow in the night?

"_Clever creature_, you are, tell me, how did you come across this information...?" Aragorn stepped towards her, his eyes narrowed a slyness that sent a chill down Lellyra's spine. She stood her ground, rejecting the urge to flee and escape into the shadows. Aragorn would out fight her, but there was no way he could chase her down. Pushing back all her doubts, Lellyra shrugged, jesting him.

"_How did you come across the ring of power...?"_

There was an uneasy silence, and Lellyra questioned herself. Maybe, that remark had stepped over the line. By the looks of Aragorn's stone cold expression, it seemed like she definitely had. In a movement quick as a snake, with a snap of his arm, Aragorn had the point of his black against Lellyra's neck. She gasped out in panic, her skin fading pale; she had, for once, been caught off guard.

Aragorn spoke, "For a stranger, you are far more dangerous than need be. The information you possess is-"

He was cut off by another voice, "Lethal." Out of the corner of her eye, Lellyra witnessed a troubling sight... There was an arrow against her temple, and a bow string drawn. Her mind spinning wild and crazed, Lellyra struggled to catch sight of her second attacker. It was an elf. That was definite. With his white blonde hair and angry blue eyes, he was most certainly an elf. Settling her gaze back upon Aragorn, who seemed quite troubled, she set her jaw in frustration.

"Couldn't finish me off yourself?" She seethed, unseen fury rising higher through her core. The fact that she'd been cornered and caught made her feel sick to her stomach. Lellyra was supposed to be the cunning one, the girl who never missed a beat, who was always two steps ahead... So why was she at the mercy of an elf, a man and-

A dwarf stepped up beside Aragorn, a disgusting creature without an ounce of grace. He plundered up with unneeded noise, and settled in place beside Aragorn, he shot Lellyra a confused, flustered once over. She resisted the urge to spit at him, holding her tongue and reminding herself she had a sword to her throat and bow to her temple. The dwarf wore a nasty expression.

"What's the means of this?" He asked, no one in particular. Aragorn gave Lellyra a sideways nod, he also, annoyed with the situation. All three of them would much rather be sleeping, than attempting to deal with a disastrous stranger. Legolas only set his jaw and kept his bow steady, he didn't necessarily want to kill her, but if she risked the entire journey, what choice did he have?

"This clever critter knows far too much" Aragorn stated simply.

Gimli, even with the brief explanation, seemed please. He stepped towards her, cringing in distaste, "What is it? Awfully ugly, the creature is..." He murmured, poking at Lellyra's leg with the blunt end of his axe.

She didn't budge, only giving him a furious glare. At the mercy of an elf, a man and a hideous dwarf, Lellyra was absolutely humiliated. It's not like she had anyone to impress in the meanwhile, but for her own self pride, she was not holding her head very high.

"I say, we get rid of it now and save the worry" Gimli suggested, flatly.

Lellyra's eyes went wide with fear, as she turned to stare at Aragorn. He seemed to be pondering the idea, which was not a good sign. She couldn't see Legolas to study his expression, but she prayed wasn't willing. He had his bow string drawn, ready to end her life. But would he?

"She may not be worthless..." Legolas said warily, as if speaking to himself. Gimli and Aragorn glanced up, meeting Legolas' curious stare. They both looked confused, and to Lellyra's fury, slightly disappointed. Whoever this elf boy was beside her, she definitely liked him the most.

There was a moment of silence, where none of the four knew exactly what to say or do.

"Oh forget it, if the elf doesn't want to kill her, I'll do it myself!" Gimli raised his axe before anyone could protest, the sudden movement brought shock from both parties. Without a second thought, Gimli swung his axe and Lellyra's heart stopped entirely in her chest, her breath was quick and raspy, but it was soon caught in her lungs. She barely had enough time to scream before hearing the dreaded sound of a snapping bow string.

_There was a blur._  
_And then there a cry of madness._  
_The clever creature hit the dusty ground. _


End file.
